


one million invisible lines

by womanaction



Series: long distance relationship (phone sex au) [3]
Category: Community (TV)
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Post-Series, past Annie/Jeff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-20
Updated: 2017-05-20
Packaged: 2018-11-03 00:37:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10956057
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/womanaction/pseuds/womanaction
Summary: Annie isn't as good at keeping secrets as she thinks she is. Annie/Abed, Annie & Jeff, past Annie/Jeff. Follows "i touch the place where i'd find your face" and "i like where we are (here)".





	one million invisible lines

**Author's Note:**

> I've been reluctant to write much Jeff in these AA fics because, although AA is my otp, I also really like Jeff and Jeff/Annie. But I couldn't let go of this idea. Hopefully I did platonic-ish JA some justice.

He doesn’t pick up on the first ring.

Or the second.

The third – “Hello?”

“Jeff!” she says quickly, then awkwardly, “It’s Annie.”

He chuckles a little. The sound is so familiar, although it’s a little distorted from the phone. “Yeah, I know. There’s this newfangled thing called Caller ID.”

“I was just…calling to confirm that you can still pick me up from the airport next week,” she says primly, almost slipping into her “work phone voice.” She hasn’t talked to Jeff much since they said goodbye, and while she has plenty of faith that the group dynamics will all slip back into place once they’re all back in the same place…it’s a little weird to talk on the phone like this to someone she used to see every day.

“Alright, I get it, you don’t trust me,” he says with what’s probably fake offense.

Annie rolls her eyes fondly, forgetting for a second he can’t see her. “ _No_ , I’m just checking that you can still do it and you don’t have other evening plans or anything.”

“Yeah, your flight gets in at what, ten?”

“Jeff!”

“To six,” he continues smoothly. “Annie. Relax. I even put a reminder in my phone. I’m not going to forget about you.”

“Well…good,” she says. There’s a pause.

“So…how’s D.C.?”

Huh. Jeff isn’t really a phone call person, but he obviously doesn’t want to hang up. She wonders if he’s lonely, with only Britta and other teachers for company. Well, and a horde of adoring co-eds, she’s sure. “It’s really great,” she answers, pleased. “I’m learning a lot. I have classes now, too, but I’m getting to do some more hands-on work. I’m pretty good at it.”

“There’s a surprise,” he says, in a teasing but warm tone. Annie smiles to herself. “And, uh, living by yourself? Is that going well, too?”

She doesn’t have to be an FBI intern to detect the note of genuine concern. She wants to tease him back, but her immediate response would be, “I can take care of myself, _Dad_ ,” and well. It’s probably still too soon and too weird for her to make those kinds of jokes. She answers earnestly instead. “Yeah, it’s way better than last time. I’m not worried about getting stabbed most of the time. My apartment is pretty small, but I put a ton of time into decorating it when I first got here. It’s really cute, I’ve got a little window above my kitchen sink – not really much of a view but I found these little curtains that fit it perfectly – ” Annie cuts herself off sheepishly, remembering a few Christmases ago when she gave his apartment a little Annie-makeover. She hopes he isn’t thinking about the same thing.

“It sounds…very you. I’ll be sure to stop by if I’m ever in the area,” he adds dryly, but she knows he’s smiling behind it.

“Yeah, just be sure to warn me first so I can get you an air mattress or something,” she says, going along with it. “Even I’m too tall to sleep on my couch.” She imagines Jeff trying to fit on her tiny little couch, legs stretching off for at least a foot, and she stifles a giggle.

“Will do,” he says, then pauses for a second. “You made any friends with the other kids at the FBI?”

“Maybe,” she answers thoughtfully. “There are some people I get along with, but everyone’s pretty busy. It’s definitely not like being at Greendale.” She sighs. “I miss it. How are things there?”

“They’re fine,” he says breezily. “You can see for yourself when you get here, take a tour of the Exactly-The-Same museum. Your life seems much more interesting. For example…” Jeff pauses. She recognizes that pause. That’s his big-shot lawyer pause, the one he breaks out when he knows he has someone cornered. “What exactly is going on between you and Abed?”

“I don’t know what you mean,” Annie says innocently. _Crap._ The plan had been to tell everyone in person, when maybe things would be less weird. Or, as Abed put it, “The new dynamic between us will be just one of many changes the group will adjust to in the reunion episode, which should take some pressure off us.”

“You don’t,” Jeff repeats. “Exhibit A – you changed your profile picture to the two of you together when he came to see you for Thanksgiving.” She had picked the most platonic of their photo booth pictures, but she supposes it did look suspicious when she almost never changes her profile picture. “Exhibit B – you just admitted to me that you don’t have anywhere for guests to sleep. For a forensics expert, Miss Edison, you’re not very good at covering your tracks.”

Does he have to be so smug? she wonders. “Forensics is about learning to _catch_ criminals, not become one,” she snarks back.

“So you admit you are a criminal.”

She makes a frustrated sound. “Fine, you got me,” she says sarcastically. Then, more quietly, she adds, “I was going to tell you when you picked me up from the airport. That was one reason I wanted _you_ to pick me up from the airport.”

Jeff is silent for a minute. When he finally speaks, it’s in a very different tone than before. “Annie, you know you don’t owe me anything.”

“I mean…I kinda do.” She looks down at her hands.

“No, you kinda don’t,” he says more firmly. “You and I…we wrapped up our loose ends. It would be selfish of me to expect you not to move on.”

“Aw, Jeff,” she breathes, heart quietly echoing its former flutter. “That’s…very mature of you.”

“About time, huh?” he cracks. “So…if you were putting off telling people because you were worried about me, don’t be. You have my blessing. Or whatever.”

Annie giggles. “You’ve got to get over yourself, Jeff. Do you seriously think you were the person we’d be most worried about?” She _had_ worried about him, more than she was willing to admit to him. But she still had to tease him.

“…oh my God, Troy. Of course.”

“Yeah, so if you happen to see him before Abed gets to him…”

“My lips are sealed,” he promises.

There’s a lull. She’s relieved to have the truth out (and she trusts Jeff not to tell anybody), but she’s also a little worried that this revelation has destroyed their mostly-easy camaraderie. It’s not a long drive from the airport, but she might have to dread that time alone with him if it’s going to be weird. Then Jeff breaks the silence. “So…how exactly did this thing start?”

She flushes, not ready to tell that story to Jeff. Actually, she can’t imagine herself ever telling him that story. “Um…how does anything start, really,” she says weakly.

“Alright, fine.” He heaves a sigh. “I bet Abed’ll tell me.”

“Jeff!”

“Okay, but tell me this, has he made you dress up as an Inspector Spacetime character?”

“ _Jeff!_ ”

“I’m taking that as a yes.”

“I’m hanging up on you,” she threatens, but secretly she’s smiling. She knows that he’s teasing her to reassure her that things are okay between them. And he probably won’t ask Abed. (Dear God, she hopes he won’t ask Abed.)

“Yeah, I guess I probably should get back to work, huh,” he says joylessly.

“Work?” she repeats, looking at the time before she realizes – duh, time zones. Still, it’s five-thirty there.

“I’m supposed to give these kids a final in like…five minutes. Actually, I still haven’t written the last few questions…Kidding. I kid,” he says, but she’s not really convinced.

“I’m actually hanging up on you now, Jeff. For your own good.”

“Okay.”

“I’ll see you next week.”

“Okay. Annie?”

“Yeah?”

“Take care of yourself.”

“You too.”

After they hang up, she puts the phone down on her lap. “Those poor students,” she says to herself, smiling. Then, eyes widening, she picks up the phone again and types a warning text to Abed.

Just in case.

**Author's Note:**

> NOW WITH ACCOMPANYING PLAYMOSS MIX: https://playmoss.com/en/womanofaction/playlist/aa-phone-sex


End file.
